Group praises Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) for her long time commitment to the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and urges bipartisan support to pass the legislation
ATLANTA — Today, Fair Fight Actionreleased a statement praising the reintroduction of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in the House of Representatives and urging Congress to pass this critical voting rights legislation. The organization commends Representative Terri Sewell (D-AL) for reintroducing the bill in Congress and for her commitment to voting rights.
The landmark bill, whose importance befits its names and the legacy of Congressman John Lewis, would provide much-needed mechanisms to stop discriminatory voting laws and dissuade their passage and enactment in the future. The JLVRAA would update and strengthen necessary preclearance protections established via the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and gutted with the 2013 Shelby v. Holder Supreme Court decision. Preclearance—or the federal review of any voting changes proposed by states with a history of racial discrimination—is more crucial than ever, given the spate of anti-voter laws passed throughout the country and the additional erosion of the 1965 Voting Rights Act with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brnovich v. DNC.
The JLVRAA, and the tools it provides to address discriminatory voter practices, are needed now, more than ever. A decade after the Supreme Court gutted the “preclearance” protection in Shelby v Holder, at least 29 states have passed almost 100 laws that make it harder to vote, with the burden falling hardest on voters of color.
Fair Fight Action implores members of Congress to come together and pass the JLVRAA. Our elected representatives must take action to shore up democracy in America during a time when it is greatly imperiled.
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